The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to adequate housing, something denied to the trans community when they were evicted by pressure from their neighbors. That's why we created a fictional house on an e-commerce platform so that people could purchase its items symbolically to finance a real home; La CASATRANS, a symbol of equity for the trans community in Colombia.

In March 2021, amid the quarantine caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we were forced to leave our home. It was a house that provided shelter to various people, including transgender sex workers, gender non-conforming individuals, transgender women who were victims of armed conflict, those who had been incarcerated, homeless people, and activists who had fought for this place through their struggle for safety and well-being. This refuge stood as a bastion against police violence and transphobia, offering a safe and welcoming space. It's important to note that we, transgender people, face a higher risk of suicide compared to the rest of the population, emphasizing even more the significance of these refuges as crucial places of support and resistance.

Therefore, losing our home, which supports more than 600 transgender people by providing legal, psychological, and even healthcare access, creates a huge gap in the pursuit of equality and respect for our fundamental rights.

Having a space to accommodate the Colombian transgender community is imperative to continue the activist work of the network. Since not all the needs of its members can be accommodated virtually, having a diverse and safe space is imperative. The members of the Trans Community Network see each other as members of their own family. In this way, the well-being of those who are part of their community can be guaranteed, regardless of their gender identity, age, origin, race, or occupation.

- Situation

We were evicted against our will from the house, due to pressure from neighbors and the police.

- Brief

To reclaim our space to continue working for the transgender community.

- Objectives

To have a physical space that shelters our community and continue to work for the rights of people with diverse gender identities.

Having among the highest death rates worldwide, due to stigmatization, discrimination and violence the Trans Community Network of Colombia has been a key player locally. The community has almost single handedly advocated in favor of rights for the transgender population in the country. The house was the place that welcomed this population regardless of their occupations or origins, which in many cases had no other safeguard. Without this space, amidst a global health emergency, regrouping and gathering resources to establish a new home was a top priority to prevent further marginalization and vulnerability.

CASATRANS.CO is an e-commerce platform for donations, but at the same time, it's a space to fight for a cause. So we decided to build a virtual house and sell it piece by piece. To do this, we created an e-commerce site where people could navigate the different rooms of our CASA TRANS, choose from over 250 illustrated objects, and symbolically donate money to support our cause.

A project like this wouldn't be possible without the help of the community. That's why we invited dozens of artists and writers to join the cause and donate their illustrations and stories. These narratives tell the tales behind each object with a fun and lighthearted tone, far from the misery often associated with these stories. Each room, including the "Hall of Memory," pays tribute to our murdered sisters and to everyone who suffers from gender-based or identity-based violence.

Even though we had already come out and had a well-established organization which brought together the entire transgender community, the context of the eviction put us in a very difficult situation where we needed to reclaim our home without any means to obtain resources. It was precisely out of nothing that the idea emerged to sell a house we didn't have to get the one we needed.

"We sell the house we don't have to get the one we need."

Raising funds for a social cause is a challenging task, but it's even more difficult for a community like ours, which faces constant rejection and discrimination.

That's why we decided to launch CASATRANS.CO by using the most powerful tool we have: art. Because ultimately, it doesn't matter if someone decides to "come out of the closet" if there's no house that welcomes, offer support or help when they might need it.

Our e-commerce featured 14 different rooms, where we symbolically sold each part of a house: bricks, tiles, doors, faucets, toilets, and more than 250 unique objects. These elements were designed by artists with diverse backgrounds, mostly from the LGBTIQ+ community.

The campaign reached 2.5M impressions. 

Customers from more than 20 Countries. 

More than 340K users.

1 Home for the trans community network of Colombia.

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